Alaska Native Students Repatriated From Carlisle
The Office of Army Cemeteries has returned the remains of four Alaska Native children to their home state.
Updated on Sept. 29, 2026 in Native American
The Office of Army Cemeteries successfully identified and repatriated four Alaska Native boarding school students buried at the Carlisle Barracks Post Cemetery. The effort concludes over a century of separation for these children from their families.
Why it matters
This repatriation is part of an ongoing disinterment program aimed at returning the remains of Native children who died at government-run industrial schools to their home communities.
The school took in nearly 8,000 Native children during its 39 years of operation. The Office of Army Cemeteries is currently disinterring 12 students this month, with remains having been buried at the site for approximately 100 years.
The players
Office of Army Cemeteries
This federal agency manages the disinterment and repatriation of remains of students buried at government-run boarding school cemeteries.
Alaska Native Heritage Center
This organization works to preserve and share the heritage of Alaska Native cultures and facilitated the identification of family members.
The details
Researchers identified the remains of Mabel Stack, Lucy Spaulding, Edward Angalook, and Tummasak by utilizing documents discovered in a basement at the Princeton Theological Seminary. The project involved coordination between the Office of Army Cemeteries and the Alaska Native Heritage Center to locate surviving family members.
Timeline
The Carlisle Indian Industrial School operated from 1879 until it shut down in 1918.
Mabel Stack and Lucy Spaulding arrived at the school in 1903.
The Office of Army Cemeteries began its repatriation efforts in 2017.
Four Alaska Native children were returned home in September 2026.
Roadmap
This repatriation follows the procedural framework established by the Office of Army Cemeteries' boarding school disinterment program to return remains to indigenous families. It represents a broader effort to account for the legacy of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School system.
This return brings closure to the communities of Ketchikan, Metlakatla, Unalakleet, and Shishmaref where these children originally lived. Families can now proceed with traditional burial rites that were denied to them for over a century.
The takeaway
The successful identification of these students demonstrates the impact of preserving archival documents for historical reconciliation. Families affected by the boarding school system are encouraged to engage with the Alaska Native Heritage Center for ongoing support and information.
What happens next
All remaining Alaska Native children identified at the Carlisle site are expected to be returned to their families by the end of 2027.
Further reading
Find more details on regional history in the Native American section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KRBD.
